Call center queue management

ABSTRACT

A method for calculating an average capability for each of a plurality of agents includes obtaining call completion data for each agent. The call completion data is used to calculate a historical average for each agent. The historical average is used to calculate an average capability for each agent.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to and is a continuation ofco-owned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/959,608 filedDec. 19, 2007, (attorney docket no. 16356.1086), and is related to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/959,690, attorney docket number16356.1098 (DC-14474), filed on Dec. 19, 2007, the disclosures which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to information handlingsystems, and more particularly to call center queue management.

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individualsand businesses seek additional ways to process and store information.One option is an information handling system (IHS). An IHS generallyprocesses, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data forbusiness, personal, or other purposes. Because technology andinformation handling needs and requirements may vary between differentapplications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled,how the information is handled, how much information is processed,stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the informationmay be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allowfor IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific usesuch as financial transaction processing, airline reservations,enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs mayinclude a variety of hardware and software components that may beconfigured to process, store, and communicate information and mayinclude one or more computer systems, data storage systems, andnetworking systems.

Call center queue managers have historically assumed one-to-onecomparisons of agent productivity to calculate site production levelsand to determine if contractual call center obligations may be met. Amanager conventionally assumes that if a first agent is unavailable, asecond agent can substitute in place of the first agent without havingan impact on customer service capabilities.

However, each agent in a call center can have unique capabilities, andsubstituting a second agent in place of a first agent may have anegative impact on customer service capabilities. Additionally, this maycause difficulties in creating staffing schedules, and may also causeinefficiencies due to inadvertent overstaffing and understaffing atvarious times.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved call centerqueue management that avoids the problems set forth above.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment, call center queue management is achieved bya method for calculating an average capability for each of a pluralityof agents. The method includes obtaining call completion data for eachagent. The call completion data is used to calculate a historicalaverage for each agent. The historical average is used to calculate anaverage capability for each agent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a illustrates an embodiment of an information handling system(IHS).

FIG. 1 b illustrates an embodiment of a system for managing a callcenter.

FIG. 1 c illustrates an embodiment of a first view of a Call CenterMonitor (CCM) web page used in the system of FIG. 1 b.

FIG. 1 d illustrates an embodiment of a second view of a CCM web pageused in the system of FIG. 1 b.

FIG. 1 e illustrates an embodiment of a CCM flex preference web pageused in the system of FIG. 1 b.

FIG. 1 f illustrates an embodiment of a flex request e-mail used in thesystem of FIG. 1 b.

FIG. 1 g illustrates an embodiment of a CCM flex rewards web page usedin the system of FIG. 1 b.

FIG. 1 h illustrates an embodiment of a flex reward confirmation e-mailused in the system of FIG. 1 b.

FIG. 1 i illustrates an embodiment of a CCM flex reporting web page usedin the system of FIG. 1 b.

FIGS. 2 a and 2 b illustrate an embodiment of a first method to manage acall center using the system of FIG. 1 b.

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b illustrate an embodiment of a second method to managea call center using the system of FIG. 1 b.

FIG. 3 c illustrates an embodiment of a CCM queue optimization web pageused in the method of FIGS. 3 a and 3 b.

FIG. 3 d illustrates an embodiment of a staffing optimization e-mailused in the method of FIGS. 3 a and 3 b.

FIG. 3 e illustrates an embodiment of a CCM risk management web pageused in the method of FIGS. 3 a and 3 b.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For purposes of this disclosure, an IHS may include any instrumentalityor aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify,process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display,manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form ofinformation, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control,entertainment, or other purposes. For example, an IHS may be a personalcomputer, a PDA, a consumer electronic device, a network server orstorage device, a switch router or other network communication device,or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance,functionality, and price. The IHS may include memory, one or moreprocessing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardwareor software control logic. Additional components of the IHS may includeone or more storage devices, one or more communications ports forcommunicating with external devices as well as various input and output(I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. The IHSmay also include one or more buses operable to transmit communicationsbetween the various hardware components.

In one embodiment, IHS 100, FIG. 1, includes a processor 102, which isconnected to a bus 104. Bus 104 serves as a connection between processor102 and other components of computer system 100. An input device 106 iscoupled to processor 102 to provide input to processor 102. Examples ofinput devices include keyboards, touchscreens, and pointing devices suchas mouses, trackballs and trackpads. Programs and data are stored on amass storage device 108, which is coupled to processor 102. Mass storagedevices include such devices as hard disks, optical disks,magneto-optical drives, floppy drives and the like. IHS 100 furtherincludes a display 110, which is coupled to processor 102 by a videocontroller 112. A system memory 114 is coupled to processor 102 toprovide the processor 102 with fast storage to facilitate execution ofcomputer programs by processor 102. A network interface 116 is coupledto the processor 102 to allow the processor 102 to connect to a network.In an embodiment, a chassis 118 houses some or all of the components ofIHS 100. It should be understood that other buses and intermediatecircuits can be deployed between the components described above andprocessor 102 to facilitate interconnection between the components andthe processor 102.

Referring now to FIG. 1 b, an embodiment of a system 120 for managing acall center is illustrated. The system 120 includes a network 122 (e.g.,a Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) network), whichis coupled to a call center monitor (CCM) 124, an agent IHS 126, anagent IHS 128, and a manager IHS 130. Each of the CCM 124, the agent IHS126, the agent IHS 128, and the manager IHS 130 may include an IHSsimilar to the IHS 100, and accordingly each may communicate with eachother over the network 122. The agent IHS 126, the agent IHS 128, andthe manager IHS 130 are coupled to and used by an agent 132, an agent134, and a manager 136, respectively, who may be employees of a callcenter and/or a provider. The agent 132 and the agent 134 may each beresponsible for communicating with customers of the provider throughtelephone and/or e-mail. The CCM 124 and/or the manager 136 may beresponsible for monitoring and/or administrating operations of the callcenter. The CCM 124 may include a variety of software, such as a website hosted on a web server, which may be accessible by the agent 132,the agent 134, and the manager 136 through the agent IHS 126, the agentIHS 128, and the manager IHS 130, respectively.

For clarity, only one network, one CCM, one manager IHS, one manager,two agent IHSs, and two agents are illustrated in FIG. 1 b. However, itshould be understood that any plurality of networks, CCMs, manager IHSs,managers, agent IHSs, agents, and call centers may be used in accordancewith the present invention. Furthermore, in the discussion below, theagent 132 is used as a representative one of the agents 132 and 134.

The call center can have one or more service level goals for one or morecustomer segments. For example, one customer segment might includebusiness customers for whom the service level goals may includeanswering 90% of telephone calls from the customers within two minutes.A second customer segment might include, for example, residentialcustomers for whom the service level goals may include answering 90% oftelephone calls within five minutes. In another embodiment, the callcenter may support only one customer segment. In an alternativeembodiment, the call center may support a plurality of customersegments.

The agent 132 may be in an inbound phone state if the agent 132 iscommunicating on an inbound phone call with a customer. The agent 132may be in an available phone state if the agent 132 is available tocommunicate on an inbound phone call with a customer. If the agent 132is in an inbound phone state or an available phone state, the agent 132may be considered to be in an inbound phone queue state. The agent 132may be in an auxiliary phone state if the agent 132 is not in an inboundphone queue state. An auxiliary phone state may include a variety ofstates such as, for example, an outbound phone state, a break, a lunchbreak, an absence, or a meeting. In addition, an auxiliary phone stateor an inbound phone queue state may be planned or unplanned. Forexample, if the agent 132 is scheduled to be in an inbound phone queuestate during a specified time interval, but the agent 132 is instead inan auxiliary phone state, such as a meeting, during the specified timeinterval, the agent 132 may be considered to be in an unplannedauxiliary phone state. Alternatively, for example, if the agent 132 isscheduled to be in an outbound phone state during a specified interval,and the agent 132 is in an outbound phone state during the specifiedinterval, the agent 132 may be considered to be in a planned auxiliaryphone state.

The CCM 124 may include additional software for a variety of tasksrelating to the call center, such as scheduling, monitoring, analyzing,and controlling operations of the call center and the agent 132. Some ofthese tasks are described in further detail in the various embodimentsbelow. Information about all inbound and outbound phone calls (e.g.,participants, start times, stop times, durations) may be tracked andstored by the CCM 124. The CCM 124 may further include a variety ofinformation about the agent 132 such as one or more planned states,actual states, and/or capabilities of the agent 132. A planned state maybe a state (e.g., an inbound phone queue state or an auxiliary phonestate, described above) that the agent 132 has been scheduled to be induring a specified time interval. An actual state may be a state thatthe agent 132 is actually in during a specified time interval. An actualstate may be entered by the agent 132 (e.g., using a web site providedby the CCM 124) to reflect new activities being performed by the agent132. For example, immediately before going to lunch, the agent 132 mayenter a lunch break state into the web site of the CCM 124, andimmediately after returning from lunch, the agent 132 may enter aninbound phone queue state into the web site of the CCM 124. Upon theagent 132 entering an actual inbound phone queue state, the CCM 124 mayplace the agent 132 into an inbound phone queue such that inboundcustomer phone calls are routed to the agent 132.

The CCM 124 may use information it has stored about the agent 132 overtime to calculate an average capability of the agent 132. The averagecapability of the agent 132 may be defined as a historical average ofthe number of inbound calls the agent 132 is able to complete in a giveninterval of time, assuming that the agent 132 is working at fullcapacity. Working at full capacity may include that the inbound phonequeue is never empty (i.e., immediately after a call has been completed,another call is transferred to the agent 132). For example, if the agent132 has completed 1000 calls in 110 hours, wherein the agent was not ina phone call for 10 of the 110 hours due to an empty inbound phonequeue, the average capability of the agent 132 may be calculated as 10calls per hour (i.e., 1000 divided by 100), or alternatively five callsper half-hour.

The CCM 124 may additionally calculate several other parameters relatingto time intervals. Prior to and/or during each interval, the CCM 124 maycalculate a variety of parameters for the interval, including a plannedcapability, an expected capability, and an expected call completion. Aplanned capability for an interval describes the number of calls thecall center is projected to be able to complete in the interval, giventhat all agents comply with their schedules. Planned capability may becalculated to include the sum of the average capabilities, describedabove, of all agents (e.g., the agents 132 and 134) for the interval.For example, for an interval from 8:00 to 8:30, if the agent 132 has anaverage capability of 7.5 calls per half-hour, the agent 134 has anaverage capability of 2.5 calls per half-hour, and both of the agents132 and 134 are scheduled to be in an inbound phone queue state for theinterval, the planned capability for the interval may be calculated tobe 10 calls (i.e., 7.5 calls per half-hour plus 2.5 calls perhalf-hour). An expected capability for an interval describes the numberof calls the call center is projected to complete in the interval, giventhat one or more of the agents may not comply with their schedule, andthus may be in an unplanned auxiliary phone state, described above.Expected capability may be calculated to include the planned capabilityminus an expected variance. The expected variance may include ahistorical average of previous unplanned auxiliary phone states insimilar intervals. For example, for the interval from 8:00 to 8:30, ifthe planned capability is 10 calls, but if historical data shows thatthe call center and/or agents typically lose approximately 10% of theirplanned capability due to unplanned auxiliary phone states, the expectedcapability for the interval may be calculated to be nine calls (i.e., 10calls per half-hour*(100%−10%)). In an embodiment, calculation of theexpected variance may further include an actual variance, which mayinclude data relating to the selected interval, such as actual unplannedphone states in the selected interval. An expected call completion foran interval describes the number of calls that the call center isprojected to receive and/or complete in the interval. The expected callcompletion may be calculated using a historical average of previousmeasured inbound call rates.

After or during an interval, the CCM 124 may calculate additionalparameters relating to the interval, including an actual capability anda utilized capability. An actual capability for an interval describesthe sum of the capabilities of the agents during the interval, whereinthe capabilities are adjusted for gaps in phone usage due to an emptyinbound phone queue because of a lull in incoming phone calls. Forexample, for an interval from 8:00 to 8:30, if the agent 132 completedthree calls in 15 minutes, and the agent 134 completed one call in 15minutes, but the agents 132 and 134 were not on phone calls for theother 15 minutes due to an empty inbound phone queue, the actualcapability for the interval may be calculated to be eight calls (i.e.,(three calls plus one call) divided by (15 minutes divided by 30minutes)). A utilized capability for an interval describes the sum ofthe capabilities of the agents, without adjusting for gaps in phoneusage. For example, in the previous example the utilized capability forthe interval may be calculated to be four calls (i.e., three calls plusone call).

It should be understood that the above calculations are for illustrationpurposes only. Accordingly, a variety of variations on the abovecalculations and parameters may be used in accordance with variousembodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, in the embodimentsdiscussed herein, a default time interval of 30 minutes is described.However, one of skill in the art will recognize that a variety of othertime intervals may be used in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1 c, an embodiment of a CCM dashboard web page 140is illustrated. The CCM dashboard web page 140 may be provided to themanager 136 by the web server of the CCM 124, and may be used by themanager 136 to perform analysis and/or administration of the operationsof the call center. The CCM dashboard web page 140 may include abusiness filter section 142, a queue tracker section 144, and a queuesummary/capability section 146. The business filter section 142 allowsthe manager 136 to filter the contents of the web page by variouscriteria such as by business segment, call center, location, customersegment, and/or product type. The queue tracker section 144 displays abar and line graph illustrating planned capabilities, expectedcapabilities, actual capabilities, utilized capabilities, expected callcompletions, and a variety of other data for several consecutiveintervals. The queue summary/capability section 146 displays a varietyof information about the inbound phone queues and the agents (e.g.,agent 132 and agent 134).

Referring now to FIG. 1 d, in an embodiment, the manager 136 may use aninput device of the manager IHS 130 to click on an agent name in thequeue summary/capability section 146 of the CMM dashboard web page inorder to see an agent information pop-up window 150. The agentinformation pop-up window 150 may include a variety of information aboutan agent (e.g., agent 132) including a name, an agent identificationnumber, schedule information, state information, and a queueidentification number.

In an embodiment, the agent 132 may be encouraged to flex (i.e., shift)certain scheduled time intervals in order to improve expected capabilityfor one or more intervals. For example, if the manager 136 desiresadditional expected capability from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, and the agent132 has a scheduled lunch break from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, the manager136 and/or the CCM 124 may request that the agent 132 instead be in aninbound phone queue state from 12:00 to 1:00 PM, and have the lunchbreak from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM.

Referring now to FIG. 1 e, an embodiment of a CCM flex preference webpage 160 is illustrated. The CCM flex preference web page 160 may beprovided to the agent 132 by the web server of the CCM 124. In anembodiment, the agent 132 may use the CCM flex preference web page 160to specify flex preferences for future flex requests sent to the agent132. The flex preferences may include whether the agent 132 would bewilling to flex breaks or lunch breaks, a maximum advance notice forflex requests, a maximum amount of time for flex requests, a maximumnumber of daily flex requests, and which days of the week to receiveflex requests.

Referring now to FIG. 1 f, an embodiment of a flex request e-mail 170 isillustrated. The flex request e-mail 170 may be sent to the agent 132 bythe CCM 124 in order to request that the agent 132 flex a lunch break.In an embodiment, the agent 132 may receive rewards for accepting acertain number of flex requests.

Referring now to FIG. 1 g, an embodiment of a CCM flex rewards web page180 is illustrated. The CCM flex rewards web page 180 may be provided tothe agent 132 by the web server of the CCM 124 in order to provideinformation about progress towards a flex reward for the agent 132. Inan embodiment, after the agent 132 is eligible to receive a reward, theCCM flex rewards web page 180 may allow the agent 132 to choose an awardsuch as, for example, an extra scheduled break.

Referring now to FIG. 1 h, in an embodiment, the agent 132 may thenreceive a flex reward confirmation e-mail 182 from the CCM 124confirming the extra scheduled break.

Referring now to FIG. 1 i, an embodiment of a CCM flex reporting webpage 190 is illustrated. The CCM flex reporting web page 190 may beprovided to the manager 136 by the CCM 124 to provide flex statusreports about each of the agents (e.g., agents 132 and 134), including atotal number of flex requests, a total number of accepted flex requests,a total number of declined flex requests, and a flex request acceptancepercentage. In an embodiment, the manager 136 may filter the statusreport results by date range, location, and/or manager (e.g., themanager 136).

Referring now to FIGS. 2 a and 2 b, an embodiment of a method 200 tomanage a call center is illustrated. The method 200 begins at block 202where the CCM 124 selects a time interval to analyze. In an embodiment,the CCM 124 may select the time interval immediately after the currenttime interval. In an alternative embodiment, the CCM 124 may select anyother time interval in the future. The method 200 then proceeds to block204 where the CCM 124 calculates the expected capability and theexpected call completion, described above, for the selected timeinterval.

The method 200 then proceeds to decision block 206 where the CCM 124determines whether the expected capability for the selected timeinterval is higher than the expected call completion for the selectedtime interval. If at decision block 206 the CCM 124 determines that theexpected capability for the selected time interval is higher than theexpected call completion for the selected time interval, the method 200returns to block 202 where the CCM 124 selects a time interval toanalyze.

If at decision block 206 the CCM 124 determines that the expectedcapability for the selected time interval is not higher than theexpected call completion, the method proceeds to decision block 208where the CCM 124 determines whether there is a subsequent time intervalwhere the expected capability of the subsequent time interval is higherthan the expected call completion of the subsequent time interval. If atdecision block 208 the CCM 124 determines that there is not a subsequenttime interval where the expected capability of the subsequent timeinterval is higher than the expected call completion of the subsequenttime interval, the method 200 returns to block 202 where the CCM 124selects a time interval to analyze.

If at decision block 208 the CCM 124 determines that there is asubsequent time interval where the expected capability of the subsequenttime interval is higher than the expected call completion of thesubsequent time interval, the method proceeds to decision block 210where the CCM 124 determines whether there is an agent (e.g., agent 132)that can flex a scheduled inbound phone queue state from the subsequenttime interval to the selected time interval. In an embodiment, in orderfor the agent 132 to be able flex from the subsequent time interval tothe selected time interval, the CCM 124 may verify that the agent 132has a scheduled auxiliary phone state during the selected time intervaland a scheduled inbound phone queue state during the subsequent timeinterval, for example, so that the states can be swapped and/or shuffledin the schedule in order to attempt to increase the expected capabilityfor the selected time interval. In an embodiment, as part of thedetermination, the CCM 124 may analyze flex preferences of the agent132, described above with reference to FIG. 1 e. In an embodiment, aspart of the determination, the CCM 124 may verify that flexing the stateof the agent 132 from the subsequent time interval to the selected timeinterval would not cause the expected capability of the subsequent timeinterval to drop below the expected call completion of the subsequenttime interval. In an embodiment, the CCM 124 may use more complex rulesthat involve a variety of time intervals and/or agents in order toattempt to increase the expected capability for the selected timeinterval. If at decision block 210 the CCM 124 determines that there isnot an agent that can flex from the subsequent time interval to theselected time interval, the method 200 returns to block 202 where theCCM 124 selects a time interval to analyze.

If at decision block 210 the CCM 124 determines that there is an agent(i.e., agent 132) that can flex from the subsequent time interval to theselected time interval, the method 200 proceeds to block 212 where theCCM 124 sends an e-mail to the agent 132 with a flex request. In anembodiment, the e-mail may include the flex request e-mail 170,described above with reference to FIG. 1 f. In an embodiment, the e-mailmay include a link to a web page where the agent 132 may respond to theflex request. In another embodiment, other communication methods may beused to send the flex request to the agent 132 such as, for example, aninstant message, a phone message, or a pager message.

The method 200 then proceeds to decision block 214 where the CCM 124determines whether the agent 132 responds to the flex request within acertain time period. In an embodiment, the time period may be 10minutes. If at decision block 214 the CCM 124 determines that the agent132 does not respond to the flex request within a certain time period,the CCM 124 assumes a negative response and the method 200 proceeds toblock 216 where the CCM 124 stores a negative response to the flexrequest on behalf of the agent 132. In an embodiment, the negativeresponse may be stored in a database. The method then returns to block202 where the CCM 124 selects a time interval to analyze.

If at decision block 214 the CCM 124 determines that the agent 132 doesrespond to the flex request within a certain time period, the method 200proceeds to decision block 218 where the CCM 124 determines whether theresponse from the agent 132 is positive (i.e., whether the agentaccepted the flex request). If at decision block 218 the CCM 124determines that the response from the agent 132 is not positive, themethod proceeds to block 214, where the CCM 124 stores a negativeresponse to the flex request on behalf of the agent 132, as describedabove.

If at decision block 218 the CCM 124 determines that the response fromthe agent 132 is positive, the method 200 proceeds to block 220 wherethe CCM 124 stores a positive response to the flex request on behalf ofthe agent 132. In an embodiment, the positive response may be stored ina database. The method then proceeds to block 222 where the CCM 124updates the schedule for the agent 132, the expected capability for theselected time interval, and the expected capability for the subsequenttime interval in order to reflect the accepted flex request. In anembodiment, the CCM 124 may further provide a flex reward to the agent132, as described above. The method 200 then ends at block 224.

Referring now to FIG. 3 a, an embodiment of another method 300 to managea call center is illustrated. The method 300 begins at block 302 wherethe CCM 124 provides the CCM dashboard web page 140, described abovewith reference to FIG. 1 c, to the manager 136. The CCM dashboard webpage 140 may be provided over the network 122 to the manager IHS 130. Inan embodiment, the manager 136 may login prior to accessing the CCMdashboard web page 140. In an alternative embodiment, another web pagemay be provided to the manager 136 instead of or in addition to the CCMdashboard web page 140.

The method 300 then proceeds to block 304 where the manager 136 selectsa filter for a business segment on the CCM dashboard web page 140. In anembodiment, the manager 136 may select a filter from the business filtersection 142 of the CCM dashboard web page 140.

The method 300 then proceeds to block 306 where the CCM dashboard webpage 140 displays reports and/or graphs that reflect the selectedbusiness segment. In an embodiment, the reports and/or graphs mayinclude at least one of the queue tracker section 144 and the queuesummary/capability section 146. In an embodiment, the reports and/orgraphs may display a red flag indicator adjacent to each time intervalfor which expected capability is not higher than expected callcompletion. In an embodiment, the manager 136 may watch the CCMdashboard web page 140 in order to monitor performance of the callcenter.

The method 300 then proceeds to block 308 where a time interval isselected. In an embodiment, the selected time interval may default tothe present time interval. In an embodiment, the manager 136 may beallowed to select the time interval by clicking on a bar in the queuetracker section 144 of the CCM dashboard web page 140.

The method 300 then proceeds to block 310 where the CCM 124 determineswhether a queue optimization web page should be provided to the manager136. In an embodiment, the CCM 124 may make the determination bydetecting whether the manager 136 clicks a corresponding link on the CCMdashboard web page 140.

If at decision block 310 the CCM 124 determines that a queueoptimization web page should be provided to the manager 136, the method300 proceeds to block 312 where a queue optimization web page isprovided to the manager 136. The queue optimization web page may includevarious recommendations by the CCM 124 to improve the expectedcapability for the selected time interval. In an embodiment, the queueoptimization web page may display information about agents (e.g., theagents 132 and/or 134) that are in an unplanned auxiliary phone state,described above. In an embodiment, the queue optimization web page maydisplay information about agents that are in an outbound phone state,but that are not presently on an outbound call. In an embodiment, thequeue optimization web page may further display an impact on theexpected capability for the selected time interval given that selectedagents will be returned to the inbound phone queue. In an embodiment,the queue optimization web page may include a CCM queue optimization webpage 350, illustrated in FIG. 3 c.

In an embodiment, if one or more of the agents are in an unplannedauxiliary phone state, or if one of more of the agents are in anoutbound phone state but are not presently on an outbound call, the CCM124 may update this information into scheduling data in order to improvefuture calculations for variance in expected capability.

The method 300 then proceeds to block 314 where the manager 136 selectsthe agent 132 from the queue optimization web page in order to requestthat the agent 132 changes to an inbound phone queue state. In anembodiment, the manager 136 may select the agent 132 from the CCM queueoptimization web page 350, and the CCM 124 may then send an e-mail tothe agent 132 requesting that the agent 132 change to an inbound phonequeue state in order to improve the expected capability for the selectedtime interval. In an embodiment, the e-mail may include a staffingoptimization e-mail 360, illustrated in FIG. 3 d.

The method 300 then proceeds to block 316 where the agent 132 returns tothe inbound phone queue (i.e., changes to an inbound phone queue state).The expected capability may then be increased by the average capabilityof the agent 132, and reports and/or graphs provided by the CCM 124 maybe updated accordingly. The method 300 then ends at block 318.

If at decision block 310 the CCM 124 determines that a queueoptimization web page should not be provided to the manager 136, themethod 300 proceeds to decision block 320 where the CCM 124 determineswhether a call arrival management web page should be provided to themanager 136. In an embodiment, the CCM 124 may make the determination bydetecting whether the manager 136 clicks a corresponding link on the CCMdashboard web page 140.

If at decision block 320 the CCM 124 determines that a call arrivalmanagement web page should be provided to the manager 136, the method300 proceeds to block 322 where a call arrival management web page isprovided to the manager 136. In an embodiment, the call arrivalmanagement web page may include a CCM risk management web page 370,illustrated in FIG. 3 e. The call arrival management web page may allowthe manager 136 to reroute inbound calls from a source inbound phonequeue to a destination inbound phone queue. The manager 136 may desireto reroute the inbound calls for a variety of reasons such as, forexample, tool outages, network outages, infrastructure outages, orinclement weather. In an embodiment, the destination inbound phone queuemay be located at a different call center and/or location than thesource inbound phone queue.

The method 300 then proceeds to block 324 where the manager 136 uses thecall arrival management web page to submit a request to reroute inboundcalls. In an embodiment, the manager may enter a reason, one or moretime intervals, a source inbound phone queue, a destination inboundphone queue, comments, and/or an impact modifier. The impact modifiermay include a percentage of calls to route from the source inbound phonequeue to the destination phone queue.

The method 300 then proceeds to block 326 where the CCM 124 provides alist of agents that may be changed to an inbound phone queue state inorder to improve expected capability for time intervals that will beaffected by the request to reroute inbound calls. In an embodiment, thelist of agents may include agents that may be able to flex fromsubsequent time intervals to the affected time intervals, similar to asdescribed above. In an embodiment, the CCM 124 may further display animpact on the expected capability for the affected time intervals giventhat the agents will be changed to an inbound phone queue state. Themethod 300 then returns to decision block 310 where the CCM 124determines whether a queue optimization web page should be provided tothe manager 136.

If at decision block 320 the CCM 124 determines that a call arrivalmanagement web page should not be provided to the manager 136, themethod 300 proceeds to decision block 330 where the CCM 124 determineswhether a scheduled capability management web page should be provided tothe manager 136. In an embodiment, the CCM 124 may make thedetermination by detecting whether the manager 136 clicks acorresponding link on the CCM dashboard web page 140.

If at decision block 330 the CCM 125 determines that a scheduledcapability management web page should be provided to the manager 136,the method 300 proceeds to block 332 where a scheduled capabilitymanagement web page is provided to the manager 136. The scheduledcapability management web page may allow the manager 136 to modify thescheduled capability, described above, for the selected time interval.The manager 136 may desire to modify the scheduled capability for avariety of reasons such as, for example, tool, network, orinfrastructure outages which may affect the capability of the agents 132and/or 134.

The method 300 then proceeds to block 334 where the manager 136 uses thescheduled capability management web page to submit a request to modifythe scheduled capability. In an embodiment, the manager may enter areason, one or more time intervals, affected agents, comments, and/or animpact modifier. The impact modifier may include a percentage ofscheduled capability that is affected. The method 300 then returns todecision block 310 where the CCM 124 determines whether a queueoptimization web page should be provided to the manager 136.

If at decision block 330 the CCM 125 determines that a scheduledcapability management web page should not be provided to the manager136, the method 300 ends at block 318.

Thus, embodiments are provided for improved call center queuemanagement. Expected capabilities and expected call completions aredetermined for time intervals. Each of the expected capabilities and theexpected call completions may be adjusted in order to meet customerservice levels and save costs.

Although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described, a widerange of modification, change and substitution is contemplated in theforegoing disclosure and in some instances, some features of theembodiments may be employed without a corresponding use of otherfeatures. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims beconstrued broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of theembodiments disclosed herein.

1. A call center staffing optimization method, comprising: projecting a first number of calls that a call center will receive in a first time interval and a second number of calls that the call center will receive in a second time interval using a processor, wherein the processor projects the first number of calls and the second number of calls using historical data of previous calls that is stored in a storage device; determining a first expected capability of a first subset of a plurality of agents using the processor, wherein the first subset are scheduled during the first time interval and the processor determines the first expected capability using historical data that is stored in the storage device and includes an average number of calls completed by each of the first subset; determining that the first expected capability does not exceed the first number of calls that the call center is projected to receive in the first time interval using the processor; finding a second expected capability of a second subset of the plurality of agents using the processor, wherein the second subset are scheduled during the second time interval and the processor determines the second expected capability using historical data that is stored in the storage device and includes an average number of calls completed by each of the second subset; determining that the second expected capability exceeds the second number of calls that the call center will receive in the second time interval using the processor; and transferring at least one of the plurality of agents from the second subset to the first subset using the processor, wherein the at least one of the plurality of agents transferred from the second subset to the first subset is associated with historical data of the average number of calls completed such that the first expected capability will exceed the first number of calls that the call center will receive in the first time interval and the second expected capability will exceed the second number of calls that the call center will receive in the second time interval.
 2. The call center staffing optimization method of claim 1, wherein the first expected capability includes a sum of the average number of calls completed by each of the first subset, and the second expected capability includes a sum of the average number of calls completed by each of the second subset.
 3. The call center staffing optimization method of claim 2, wherein the first expected capability includes the sum of the average number of calls completed by each of the first subset minus an expected variance for each of the first subset, and the second expected capability includes a sum of the average number of calls completed by each of the second subset minus an expected variance for each of the second subset.
 4. The call center staffing optimization method of claim 3, wherein the average number of calls completed by each of the first subset and the second subset has been adjusted for periods of time when a phone queue of each of the first subset and the second subset was empty.
 5. The call center staffing optimization method of claim 1, wherein the second time interval is subsequent to the first time interval.
 6. The call center staffing optimization method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, prior to the transferring the at least one of the plurality of agents from the second subset to the first subset, that the transferring will result in the first expected capability exceeding the first number of calls that the call center will receive in the first time interval and the second expected capability exceeding the second number of calls that the call center will receive in the second time interval.
 7. The call center staffing optimization method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that each of the at least one of the plurality of agents transferred from the second subset to the first subset were previously scheduled during the second time interval and available for the first time interval.
 8. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: project a first number of calls that a call center will receive in a first time interval and a second number of calls that the call center will receive in a second time interval, wherein the projecting includes accessing historical data of previous calls that is stored in a storage device; determine a first expected capability of a first subset of a plurality of agents, wherein the first subset are scheduled during the first time interval and the determining the first expected capability includes accessing historical data that is stored in the storage device and includes an average number of calls completed by each of the first subset; determine that the first expected capability does not exceed the first number of calls that the call center is projected to receive in the first time interval; find a second expected capability of a second subset of the plurality of agents, wherein the second subset are scheduled during the second time interval and the determining the second expected capability includes accessing historical data that is stored in the storage device and includes an average number of calls completed by each of the second subset; determine that the second expected capability exceeds the second number of calls that the call center will receive in the second time interval; and transfer at least one of the plurality of agents from the second subset to the first subset, wherein the at least one of the plurality of agents transferred from the second subset to the first subset is associated with historical data of the average number of calls completed such that the first expected capability will exceed the first number of calls that the call center will receive in the first time interval and the second expected capability will exceed the second number of calls that the call center will receive in the second time interval.
 9. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first expected capability includes a sum of the average number of calls completed by each of the first subset, and the second expected capability includes a sum of the average number of calls completed by each of the second subset.
 10. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the first expected capability includes the sum of the average number of calls completed by each of the first subset minus an expected variance for each of the first subset, and the second expected capability includes a sum of the average number of calls completed by each of the second subset minus an expected variance for each of the second subset.
 11. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the average number of calls completed by each of the first subset and the second subset has been adjusted for periods of time when a phone queue of each of the first subset and the second subset was empty.
 12. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the second time interval is subsequent to the first time interval.
 13. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: determine, prior to the transferring the at least one of the plurality of agents from the second subset to the first subset, that the transferring will result in the first expected capability exceeding the first number of calls that the call center will receive in the first time interval and the second expected capability exceeding the second number of calls that the call center will receive in the second time interval.
 14. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: determine that each of the at least one of the plurality of agents transferred from the second subset to the first subset were previously scheduled during the second time interval and available for the first time interval.
 15. An information handling system (IHS), comprising: a system memory; and a processor, wherein the processor is operable to access instructions on the system memory and execute those instructions in order to perform a method including: projecting a first number of calls that a call center will receive in a first time interval and a second number of calls that the call center will receive in a second time interval, wherein the processor projects the first number of calls and the second number of calls using historical data of previous calls that is stored in a storage device; determining a first expected capability of a first subset of a plurality of agents, wherein the first subset are scheduled during the first time interval and the processor determines the first expected capability using historical data that is stored in the storage and includes an average number of calls completed by each of the first subset; determining that the first expected capability does not exceed the first number of calls that the call center is projected to receive in the first time interval; finding a second expected capability of a second subset of the plurality of agents, wherein the second subset are scheduled during the second time interval and the processor determines the second expected capability using historical data that is stored in the storage and includes an average number of calls completed by each of the second subset; determining that the second expected capability exceeds the second number of calls that the call center will receive in the second time interval; and transferring at least one of the plurality of agents from the second subset to the first subset, wherein the at least one of the plurality of agents transferred from the second subset to the first subset is associated with historical data of the average number of calls completed such that the first expected capability will exceed the first number of calls that the call center will receive in the first time interval and the second expected capability will exceed the second number of calls that the call center will receive in the second time interval.
 16. The IHS of claim 15, wherein the first expected capability includes a sum of the average number of calls completed by each of the first subset, and the second expected capability includes a sum of the average number of calls completed by each of the second subset.
 17. The IHS of claim 16, wherein the first expected capability includes the sum of the average number of calls completed by each of the first subset minus an expected variance for each of the first subset, and the second expected capability includes a sum of the average number of calls completed by each of the second subset minus an expected variance for each of the second subset.
 18. The IHS of claim 17, wherein the average number of calls completed by each of the first subset and the second subset has been adjusted for periods of time when a phone queue of each of the first subset and the second subset was empty.
 19. The IHS of claim 1, further comprising: determining, prior to the transferring the at least one of the plurality of agents from the second subset to the first subset, that the transferring will result in the first expected capability exceeding the first number of calls that the call center will receive in the first time interval and the second expected capability exceeding the second number of calls that the call center will receive in the second time interval.
 20. The IHS of claim 1, further comprising: determining that each of the at least one of the plurality of agents transferred from the second subset to the first subset were previously scheduled during the second time interval and available for the first time interval. 